Interview with Alter-View Photographer German Kholmov

You’ve already seen his beautiful images, now it’s time to learn more about yet another member of Alter-View's stellar team. German Kholmov is a freelance photographer, traveler and digital marketer, who found photography by accident. Now he’s moving from one place to another in search of the perfect scenery to capture. When not chasing adventure German is based in Moscow, Russia.

Describe your path to becoming a photographer?

It all started because of my ex-girlfriend, who had a very peculiar taste in photography. She always managed to find a new perspective, saw the city in a way that was completely unfamiliar for me. It was fun to watch how she photographed architecture or did street photography, how she caught the right balance of light and shadow or how she played with colors. She’s the one who introduced me to mobile photography, after that I started treating Instagram differently and began using VSCO. I started by doing simple lifestyle photography and making photos of city architecture, but gradually, as I began to travel more, I moved to outdoor and landscape photography and that’s what I’m doing now.

Can we say your ex-girlfriend was the one who mentored you?

She’s definitely the one who inspired me and showed me how you can see the world through the eyes of the camera: no matter if it’s a professional camera or the one on your phone. It was all very intriguing, even though I’d never been that much into photography before - I mean, I always noticed beauty around me, but did nothing to capture it. So when she showed me that you can take your phone out of your pocket, take a snap and it would be something only you’ve just noticed, it blew my mind.

Are you a full-time photographer?

I have a day job and normally I photograph whenever I have time, meaning I don’t always carry a professional camera with me. But my iPhone is always with me and it really comes in handy when I need to capture the right moment.

Are there other photographers who inspire you?

There's Chris Burkard, who is from California. Chris owns a photography and production studio, and is constantly travelling. He’s literary always somewhere shooting magnificent outdoors, often on a commission by big brands. I love the way he sees nature and I like the way he edits his work. I think his entire crew works on the content: he makes mind-blowing photos, then communicates his vision to his team and they together create those beautiful images we see. There’s also Alex Strohl, yet another amazing person with outdoor-focused photography. He travels with his girlfriend and collaborates with Land Rover and sport brands. Needless to say, the places he explores and the content he creates is very inspiring.

Travel photography may be risky, how do you deal with that?

Yes, it gets risky at times: you may have to get to places people normally don’t go to, climb a mountain, photograph with your feet dangling off a cliff. Sometimes you have to sacrifice comfort for the sake of a great image, as all those self-planned trips are quite unpredictable - you might have to sleep in a car or take an ice-cold shower outside. But this is all part of an adventure and you just accept it, although some people might call them health and safety hazards. But I try to rely on my gut feeling, know when to push my limits and do some crazy things when I have to.

Are your family and friends supportive of what you do?

Yes they are, especially my sister, my mom just says that pictures are beautiful. But my sister really likes what I do, and so are my friends.

How would you describe your photography?

My photography is all about the outdoors: lesser-known and difficult to reach places. I’m inspired by the picture I see at the present moment, so I just take whatever camera I have on me and capture it.

So how do you photograph popular and much photographed places?

It all depends on a place: there are certain angles most people use to photograph popular places. For example the Neuschwanstein Castle is mostly photographed from the suspension bridge, but if you go a little further there is a narrow mountain path, that you basically have to climb on, and from there you can get a fantastic view. So I’d rather do that, than make the same pictures everyone else does. I always research the location beforehand, walk around there for some time to choose the right angle and find the best perspective.

Your advice to a beginner photographer?

Try everything: do as many pictures as you can. This is the only way to find your style and develop your artistic taste. Don’t focus on existing patterns or popular styles and try to find your own voice.

Why did you join Alter-View?

I think it’s a very promising project. I like this whole community story - photographers working in a group, creating content, driven by individual uniqueness of every member. Created in this manner, content will be more comprehensive and informative, because you can make the most of such projects, unlike when you travel alone. Even if you look at our project with Osprey, you’ll see that we all made different photographs: everyone sees the same things in a unique way - other angles, light, compositions - we’re all different even though we’re in the same community. I think it gives this fantastic opportunity to tell better stories that customers can relate to.